HD-1/2/3/4 Handhold Thickness

Tablet Thickness Tester: The Ultimate FAQ Guide

Quality control is an important aspect of the tablet compression process – a reason why you need an accurate tablet thickness tester.

This guide covers all the vital aspects you need to know about tablet thickness tester.

So before buying a tablet thickness tester, read this guide.

What is Tablet Thickness?

Tablet thickness is the distance through a tablet.

Dimensions of a tablet

What is a Tablet Thickness Tester?

A tablet thickness tester is equipment that specifically determines the thickness of a tablet.

Measuring the thickness of a tablet in one of the quality control measures in tablet manufacturing.

Tablet thickness tester

Why is Tablet Thickness Important?

The thickness of a tablet is important in many ways.

For instance, it will direct you on how you will do the packaging of the tablets.

The thickness of a tablet will determine its dissolution, disintegration, and friability rate.

What is the Crown Thickness of Tablets?

The crown thickness is the part of a tablet that curves separate from the core of the tablet.

The crown can be on both the top and bottom part of the tablet.

A micrometer measures the crown thickness of a tablet.

How does a Tablet Thickness Tester Work?

Measuring the thickness of tablets can happen in two ways:

Using a Mechanical Tablet Thickness Tester

In a mechanical tablet thickness tester, you will push down the thumb lever to open the jaws of the tester.

You will then place a tablet between the two jaws.

Close the jaw and make sure you do not crush the tablet.

Measure the thickness of the tablet on the gauge and record the readings.

Mechanical tablet thickness tester

Using a Digital Tablet Thickness Tester

1. Turn on the tester

Start by switching on the digital tablet tester.

The LCD will indicate if the digital tablet tester is on or off.

When the tester is on, the LCD will light up.

2. Select the measurement unit

Once the tester is on, you will choose the measurement unit.

This can either be in millimeters of inches by pressing on the mm/in display.

3. Placing the tablet

Push the lever on the top of the gauge downwards.

This will make the plunger to come up.

Place the tablet below the plunger, then release the lever gently until the plunger and the tablet get in contact.

4. Take readings

The LCD will indicate the thickness value of the tablet.

Write down the readings.

Alternatively, if the tester has a Report Center Printer, use it to print the readings from the digital tablet tester.

5. Removing the tablet

Lift the plunger by pressing down on the lever.

Remove the tablet and repeat the process with other tablets.

The digital tablet tester zeroes down the measurements automatically once you remove the tablet.

 Digital tablet thickness tester

What are the Parts of a Tablet Thickness Tester?

A tablet thickness gauge tester has many components built into it.

Some of the parts of a tablet thickness tester include:

• Anvil base
• The handle
• Wire spring bezel
• Shockproof rubber
• The pointer
• Puter dial
• Upper metal
• The main and idle gear
• The bezel
• Guide knock
• Spindle
• Pinion
• Crystal
• Coil spring
• Screws
• Guide metal
• The lever
• The cap
• The frame
• Base metal
• The contact point
• The outer dial

What Types of Tablets can you Test with a Tablet Thickness Tester?

You can measure the thickness of many tablets with a tablet thickness tester.

Some of these tablets include:

• Implantable tablets
• Uncoated tablets
• Soluble tablets
• Dispersible tablets
• Buccal tablets
• Soluble tablets
• Prolonged-release tablets
• Sublingual tablets
• Modified release tablets
• Enteric-coated tablets
• Film-coated tablets
• Gelatin-coated tablets
• Molded tablets
• Hypodermic tablets
• Chewable tablets

What is the Price of a Tablet Thickness Tester?

The price of a tablet thickness tester varies a lot.

The determinants of these variations include:

• The manufacturer
• The size of the machine
• The material of the machine
• The level of automation of the machine
• Additional capabilities of the machine

The price can be between 85 US Dollars to 5000 US Dollars.

How does a Manual Tablet Thickness Tester compare to an Automatic Tablet Thickness Tester?

An automatic tablet thickness tester is much easier to operate than a manual tablet thickness tester.

A manual tablet thickness tester is cheaper than an automatic tablet thickness tester.

An automatic tablet thickness tester is much more accurate than a manual tablet thickness tester.

Furthermore, an automatic tablet thickness tester has s digital display, which a manual tablet thickness tester lacks.

An automatic tablet thickness tester can come with a Report Center Printer for automatically printing readings.

Also, an automatic tablet thickness tester automatically zeroes out the readings once you remove the tablet.

With a manual tablet thickness tester, you have to zero out the readings manually.

What are the Quality Standards that a Tablet Thickness Tester should conform to?

A tablet thickness tester should conform to quality standards for health and safety reasons.

Some of the quality standards of a tablet thickness tester should confirm to include:

· Food and Drug Administration [FDA] Quality Standard

FDA controls medical equipment and supplies sold in the USA.

FDA ensures that all tablets are suitable for consumption.

· Current Good Manufacturing Practice [cGMP] Quality Standard

A Current Good Manufacturing Practice quality standard ensures that a tablet thickness tester:

1. Has the correct designs
2. It is strong enough
3. Produces quality tablets

· Tablet Tester USP Quality Standard

Tablet tester USP is in the current USP chapter <1217> in USP 31 NF6 named “Tablet Breaking Force.”

The USP quality standards to consider include:

1. The platens

Platens should be parallel to ensure smooth polishing.

The face of the platens has to be in the correct angle to the direction of motion.

Eliminate torsion displacement when applying the load.

2. The rate and uniformity of loading

Ensure that you have a consistent rate at which you apply compression force or movement rate of the platen.

Compressive loads will not accumulate quickly if you preserve the loading rate.

For real-time tracking, the constant loading rate recording can be slow.

3. The calibration, units, and resolution

A tablet thickness tester should use the standards units of measurement.

What are the Benefits of Using a Tablet Thickness Tester?

Some of the benefits of using a tablet thickness tester include:

• Using a tablet thickness tester ensures you adhere to the quality control of tablets.
• The machine is portable and small in size.
• The machine enables you to measure the thickness of different tablets.
• A tablet thickness tester will determine what kind of packaging you will use.

What are the disadvantages of not using a Tablet Thickness Tester?

The disadvantages of not using a tablet thickness tester include:

• The tablets you produce may be substandard.
• The tablets you produce will lead to a recall, and it will cost you a lot of money and loss of revenue.
• Consumers will question the decision of how the product came to the market.
• Auditing, warmings letters, criminal prosecution, closure, inspections may happen to the company.
• The company can be subject to civil litigations that will lead to losses.
• Revoking the license of operation of the company will make you not operate for several years.

How does a Tablet Thickness compare to a Tablet Diameter?

Tablet thickness is the distance through the tablet.

Also, tablet diameter is the distance across the tablet.

A tablet thickness tester will test the thickness of tablets.

A tablet diameter tester will test the diameters of tablets.

Tablet thickness and tablet diameter both use the same unit of measurement, that is, millimeters or inches.

A tablet thickness and a tablet diameter will determine the kind of packaging you will use for the tablets.

How do you compare a Tablet Hardness Tester with a Tablet Thickness Tester?

Tablet thickness tester

Tablet hardness tester

A tablet hardness tester determines the structural integrity and breaking point of different tablets.

On the other hand, a tablet thickness tester will test the distance through the tablet.

A tablet thickness tester uses millimeters or inches as the unit of measurement.

Furthermore, a tablet hardness tester uses units of measurement such as Pound, Newton, Strong-Cobb, Kilogram, and Kilopond.

Also, a tablet hardness tester determines the production process, tablet handling, tablet disintegration, and material ingredients.

A tablet hardness and tablet thickness will determine the dissolution rate of a tablet.

What is the Test Range that a Tablet Thickness Tester can Accomplish?

A tablet thickness tester can accomplish a test range of between 0 mm to 30 mm.

How do you Test the Accuracy of a Tablet Thickness Tester?

Tablet thickness testers have to be accurate in their measurements.

The accuracy of a tablet thickness tester is ±0.01mm.

What Types of Tablet Thickness Tester are available in the market?

There are a number of tablet thickness testers available in the market.

The tablet thickness testers you can choose from can be mechanical or ultra-sonic

Some of these testers include:

· Mechanical Tablet Thickness Testers

A mechanical tablet thickness tester is simple and costs less.

It is easy to use and is also resistant to dust.

It has high accuracy and is precise.

· Digital Tablet Thickness Testers

A digital tablet thickness tester is compact and robust in processing data.

It offers many calculations such as:

1. Histograms
2. X-R control charts
3. Data displacement charts

A digital tablet thickness tester allows you to use either imperial or metric units by just pressing a button.

You can conduct measurements in comparator mode where the display indicates a +/- variation from the preset.

You can also use a direct measurement mode whereby the machine will indicate the actual thickness of the tablets.

There is also the option of linking the digital tablet thickness tester to a computer or a data processor.

· Digital Tablet Multi-parameter Testers

This tablet tester can measure up to five parameters such as:

1. Tablet weight
2. Tablet hardness
3. Tablet width
4. Tablet diameter
5. Tablet thickness

Inserting a tablet is easy on this design.

The jaws will automatically change for many tablet shapes.

It has software that adjusts many variables during testing.

This machine will store the testing procedures such as:

1. Break detection
2. The movement of flaps
3. The thickness of each tablet batch
4. The transport feed of the feeder
5. The product information

What are the Applications of a Tablet Thickness Tester?

A tablet thickness tester mainly measures the thickness of tablets.

You can use a tablet thickness tester in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

What should you consider when Buying a Tablet Thickness Tester?

There are many factors to consider when you are purchasing a tablet thickness tester.

This information will help you avoid misinformation on the abilities of the tablet thickness tester.

Here are some factors worth considering:

·  Level of Technology

The level of technology you choose should meet your expectations.

Keep in mind that technology also has its limits.

· Budget

The amount you wish to spend will determine the kind of tablet thickness tester you will purchase.

The price starts from a few hundred US Dollars to thousands of US Dollars.

· Level of Accuracy

You are to consider the thickness of the tablets you have when choosing a tablet thickness tester.

The accuracy when measuring thick tablets may differ when you are measuring thin tablets.

· Repeatability and Dependability

A dependable tablet thickness tester will give similar results even if different people use it.

The tablet tester should also be able to do the thickness test over and over again.

· Longevity of the Machine

When buying a tablet thickness tester, you want a machine that will last for a long time.

The operating environment will influence how long the machine will last.

Tablet thickness testers that have a long warranty period may last for a long due to the confidence of the manufacturer.

· Qualification of the Machine

Qualifying a tablet thickness tester is mandatory and essential.

This ensures the data it provides is reliable.

Some of the qualifications include:

· Design Qualification [DQ]

Design qualification describes the tablet thickness tester.

· Installation Qualification [IQ]

Installation qualifications analyze if the manufacturer meets the specification that you will use to guide your usage of the machine.

· Performance Qualification [PQ]

Performance qualifications will measure if the machine functions as per the manufacturer’s description.

· Operational Qualification [OQ]

Operational qualifications challenge id the tablet thickness tester works according to the set specifications.

Why is it Important to Calibrate a Tablet Thickness Tester before you Start Testing?

Calibration means comparing the reading of one machine to another machine.

The other machine has undergone calibration, and you can refer to it when calibrating the tablet thickness tester you own.

Calibration influences the quality and accuracy of the measurements you take with your tablet thickness tester.

Ensure dependability, repeatability, and reliability by calibrating your tablet thickness tester frequently.

How often you use a tablet thickness tester determines how often you will calibrate it even though you should do it semi-annually.

Calibrating your tablet thickness tester will ensure the tablets are safe for the consumer.

When you calibrate your tablet thickness tester, you will save on wastages, and the time it takes to conduct the operation.

Calibrating your tablet thickness tester will save you from fines and litigations.

Calibrating your machine will also reduce the downtime as the machine is always in the best working conditions.

What is the Unit for Measuring Tablet Thickness?

The SI unit for measuring a tablet thickness is in millimeters or inches.

Why is it Important to Conduct Quality Control Tests for Tablets?

Some of the reasons as to why it is vital to conduct a quality control test for tablets include:

• To ensure the quality parameters are within the recommended targets.
• To ensure if the tablet satisfies specific quality standards.
• To ensure the safety, patience compliance, patience acceptability, stability, and efficacy of the tablet.

Does Tablet Thickness Affect the Hardness of a Tablet?

Yes, tablet thickness affects the hardness of a tablet.

Also, the hardness of the tablet will affect the disintegration and dissolution of the tablet.

Control the pressure when making tablets to ensure a uniform thickness and hardness of tablets.

Does Tablet Thickness Affect the Weight of Tablets?

Yes, the thickness of a tablet will affect the weight of the tablet.

The thickness of a tablet will determine the packaging and counting of the tablets using a filling equipment.

In return, the filling equipment will use the uniformity in thickness as a counting mechanism.

A thick tablet weighs more than a thin tablet.

Does a Tablet Thickness Affect the Dissolution of Tablets?

Yes, the thickness of a tablet will affect the dissolution.

A very thick tablet will take a long time to dissolve, whereas a thin tablet will take a short time to dissolve.

Dissolving tablets

What are the Factors that Affect the Thickness of Tablets?

Several factors affect the thickness of tablets.

Here are some of the factors that will affect the thickness of tablets:

• The diameter of the die
• The amount of fill that will enter the die cavity
• The force or pressure that you will use to compress the tablets
• The compaction characteristics of the material that makes the tablets

At SaintyCo, we have a range of lab instruments that can improve productivity by ensuring strict quality control.

Apart from our tablet thickness tester machine, SaintyCo offers tablet friability tester, tablet dissolution tester, and tablet hardness tester, amongst others.

Contact us today for all your tablet thickness tester needs.